Travel time
Lying approximately 220km from Brisbane is Tin Can Bay, on the Fraser Coast. I live on the Sunshine Coast so Tin Can Bay is about 133km from me. It’s a direct route, straight up the Bruce Highway. When you leave the Bruce Highway for the Bay, there is the final 50km to travel. That final 50km takes you past Toolara Forest and Cooloola, as well as giving you the turnoffs for Rainbow Beach and Maryborough.
We left just after 11 and after a lunch stop, arrived bang on check in time.
Accomodation
We had booked a cabin in Tin Can Bay Tourist Park. We had a deluxe 2 bed cabin. We were given the cabin with disabled access.
https://tincanbaytouristpark.com.au
https://tincanbaytouristpark.com.au/nb_accommodation/deluxe-two-bedroom-cabin-max-4/
The cabins are very basic for your stay. There is no dvd player which most cabins have nowadays. Hairdryers could be sourced from reception. There was a queen bed in one room which I gave to Dad and I had the room with two singles. These were small singles, not very wide. I picked my bed but ½ way through the first night had to swap to the other one due to the streetlight outside my window keeping me awake.
A basic for me in accomodation is a bedroom fan. These fans were noisy and unable to be used through the night due to that. This made for hot nights for me.
The location
Tin Can Bay is a beautiful seaside village that is known for its abundant wildlife, easy atmosphere and magnificent wild-catch seafood harvested from the pristine waters of the Great Sandy Strait (Great Sandy Marine Park) and Pacific Ocean.
It’s one of only two places in Queensland where you can hand feed a rare Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin. Under the supervision of Barnacles Dolphin Centre, you are able to stand in the water and get up close and personal with these gentle souls. The dolphins generally arrive around 7-7:30 am and you can feed them from 8:00 am. Unauthorised dolphin feeding is not permitted.
Tin Can Bay’s sheltered coast makes this serene little coastal town perfect for anything in or around the water including sailing, kayaking and fishing where you can throw in a line or head out on a charter with the experts from Fishing Tin Can Bay.
With miles and miles of pristine waterways, the most rewarding activity is being on the water, and you can even sleep on the Sandy Strait via Tin Can Bay Houseboats or Tin Can Bay’s Sleepy Lagoon Motel offer an affordable option if you prefer staying on dry land.
As the closest southern gateway to Fraser Island, it has more than 140 species of birdlife choosing to call this place home making it a great spot for a bit of birding.
Weather
The first night we were there gave us a lovely sunset, but that was it. The sun was warm, and temperatures were between 22-25 degrees through the day.
What’s there to do
Tourist Information
The Cooloola Region Visitor’s Information Centre is located at the Matilda Truck and Travel Stop, on the Bruce Highway at Kybong, 14 km south of Gympie, tel: 07 5483 6656. Also, http://www.cooloola.org.au
The Dolphins
One of the most popular and pleasurable attractions at Tin Can Bay is the wild dolphins which come right up to the shoreline around the jetty for a feed. However, their presence is, of course, unpredictable. Therefore, it may be an idea to ring the Cooloola Region Visitors’ Information Centre to find out if they are around, or when they may be likely to show up, tel: 07 5483 6656.
Environmental Walkway
A 9.5-km ‘environmental walkway’ lines the foreshore of Tin Can Bay. This is essentially a raised wooden walkway which allows free access along the bushy foreshore, while causing the least possible disturbance to the fauna which resides therein.
Boat Hire
The calm waters of Tin Can Inlet and the Great Sandy Straits (which extend for 100 km between the mainland and Fraser Island) are ideal for sailing, boating, sightseeing, birdwatching and fishing. Yachts and houseboats can be hired at the marina from Fraser Island Houseboats (tel: 07 5486 4444), Fraser Island Rent a Yacht (tel: 07 5486 4814) and Luxury Afloat Houseboats, tel: (07) 5486 4864. Runabouts, for exploring the inlet, can be hired from Ace Caravan Park (tel: 07 5486 4152), Barnacle’s (tel: 07 5486 4899) and Kingfisher Caravan Park, tel: (07) 5486 4198.
Festival
The Bush to Bay Seafood Fun Bay, held each year in September, typically involves a substantial fishing competition ($20,000 for first place), helicopter rides, and art and craft show, sand sculpture, music, family entertainment, seafood cooking demonstrations, a skateboarding demo, street theatre, boat and tackle displays, market stalls, a fashion parade, organised family games, a dance for the young. food stalls, and a fireworks finale.
Tours
Canoe tours are provided by Just Paddlin’ Canoe Tours (tel: 07 5486 4417). 4WD tours and dolphin cruises are also available, tel: 07 5483 6656.
What did we do?
Day 1: Monday 4th September
Monday was the journey up. Once we got there, it was a case of scoping out the area.
Dad had been there this year on a trip with his camera club friends, but it had been some years since I had been. We drove around and I had a refresher of what was where. Lunch was had at The Snack Shack. We picked up some snacks for the evening and checked in.
I can safely say it was the nicest fish that I had eaten for ages. (And I live near Mooloolaba!) We settled into the cabin and had a relaxing evening
Day 2: Tuesday 5th September
Off we went first thing for breakfast. Dad knew of a café that had not been open when he was last in Tin Can Bay, so we went to check it out.
Temptations Café was lovely. Just the right amount of ambience coupled with sunshine and views towards the water. The food and coffee were lovely. We spent the morning relaxing and for the afternoon headed out to Rainbow Beach. The intention was to be sat at Inskip Point for sunset, but sunset was not playing ball with us. We came back to Tin Can Bay Country Club for Chinese. If I am honest, the Chinese was not the best I’ve had. The meal we ordered didn’t come out when it should. We ordered sweet and sour pork with rice. Szechuan chicken with chilli and a bowl of chips. The chips came up and by the time everything else arrived, the chips were cold. We asked for replacements, but they took so long to get there, that the majority of our main meal had gone.
The place oozes charm. Click on the link and you can read how it all started. Everywhere you look, something grabs your attention. The food we ordered arrived speedily and the burger was very nice. Back to the cabin for a relaxing evening.
Day 4: Thursday 7th September
Home today. We packed and loaded the car and checked out. Of course, we decided to have one last Temptations breakfast! Then home we went. We made a pit stop on the way home to Gympie Museum. http://gympiegoldmuseum.com.au/about-us
A very interesting couple of hours spent there, and probably could have spent the whole day if I’m honest. But like the English we are, we were ‘out in the midday sun’ and it was a steaming hot day.
Of course, once you get home life gets back to normal very quickly.
To finish off this travel piece, please watch and enjoy this audio-visual presentation by Barry Beckham.
https://beckhamdigital.photo
